


On Your Skin

by LyriaBlackFrost



Series: Ryuji's Birthday 2020 [3]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Confessions, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-26
Updated: 2020-06-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:00:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24931186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LyriaBlackFrost/pseuds/LyriaBlackFrost
Summary: Ryuji is intrigued by how much Yusuke likes to draw on his skin.
Relationships: Kitagawa Yusuke/Sakamoto Ryuji
Series: Ryuji's Birthday 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1801777
Comments: 6
Kudos: 146





	On Your Skin

The first time Yusuke drew on his skin was during a meeting of the Phantom Thieves at the Leblanc, after class.

They were still waiting for Futaba to wake up after her palace disappeared, and could do little but change hearts in Mementos in the meantime. Akira, Yuuki, and Makoto were discussing their next targets in more detail, while Ann brushed Morgana’s fur. Ryuji tried to start his homework, but his efforts didn’t last more than five minutes before he gave up, leaning over his open notebook, suddenly exhausted. He closed his eyes, a feeling of drowsiness slowly taking him. Before he could doze off, a light tickle on his forearm made him open his eyes again. Yusuke was leaning in his direction, holding a pen, doodling something on his skin. Ryuji furrowed his brow, slightly confused.

**“** What are you doin’?” he asked.

**“** I’m out of paper,” answered Yusuke without even looking at him.

Ryuji grunted in half-hearted protest.

**“** I ain’t your spare sketchbook.”

His words made Yusuke finally look at him.

**“** Does it bother you?” he asked.

The concern in his voice made Ryuji chuckle, shaking his head.

**“** Not really.”

He knew Yusuke could be awkward without noticing. Thanks to Madarame, he spent most of his life partially isolated, which resulted in some difficulty with social interactions, and recognizing other people’s boundaries. Sometimes, he would refrain from asking for help when he needed, and others, he would ask one of them to pose nude as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Especially in the beginning, Ryuji didn’t know how to deal with him, and sometimes their interactions would result in an awkward, uncomfortable silence from both parts.

However, as the time passed, Yusuke was slowly opening up and getting better at those small interactions; at the same time, Ryuji was also slowly getting used to his eccentricities—from asking him out to gather inspiration to inviting him to his dormitory to keep him company, and even using him as a model for his drawings. As they grew closer, Yusuke seemed more at ease to be himself around Ryuji, and Ryuji learned that, despite his unusual manners, Yusuke was a good friend who truly cared about him.

For that reason, as strange as being used as a living sketchbook could be, Ryuji didn’t question it any further, allowing Yusuke to do as he pleased, observing him with some amusement. A small giggle escaped his lips when Yusuke started to draw again.

**“** Don’t move,” asked Yusuke.

**“** But it tickles!”

Yusuke looked at him, a smile taking his lips before he focused on the drawing again. Ryuji watched as his doodles took form, impressive even in such an improvised condition. Small things like that reminded him of how much of an amazing artist Yusuke actually was.

**“** Done,” said Yusuke after a few more minutes.

**“** Let me see…” asked Ann, leaning in their direction. “Ah, amazing!”

Morgana agreed with a nod.

**“** The drawing is great,” he said, “but Ryuji ruins it.”

**“** No one asked for your opinion, you grumpy cat,” retorted Ryuji.

**“** I’m not a cat!”

They didn’t have enough time to keep arguing, since soon the three functional brains of the group—Akira, Yuuki, and Makoto—called their attention so they could discuss their plan in more detail. As soon as they were done, they said their goodbyes. Ryuji made his way home, automatically going to the bathroom to take a shower. As soon as he took off his t-shirt, however, his gaze fell on Yusuke’s drawing.

It was a waste to wash it away, but what else could he do?

Unwilling to simply wash it, Ryuji took a picture of it with his phone. Then, he sent it to Yusuke.

**Ryuji: A picture of your masterpiece before I ruin it in the shower.**

The answer came in an instant.

_**Yusuke: You should never wash your arm again.** _

**Ryuji: Like hell, man!**

Ryuji laughed to himself, then a new message called his attention.

_**Yusuke: Thank you for the picture.** _

**Ryuji: No problem.**

**Ryuji: Just didn’t want it to disappear forever.**

**Ryuji: But I still feel bad about washing it…**

**Ryuji: Keep a spare sketchbook with you next time.**

**_Yusuke: I will._ **

* * *

The second time it happened, they were sharing a table at a small diner. Ryuji knew Yusuke had the tendency to skip meals in order to buy art supplies, so he made sure to invite his friend out to eat—outside or at his own house—as often as possible.

As soon as they finished their meal, Yusuke reached for his bag, briefly searching it.

**“** Ryuji, lend me your arm,” he asked.

**“** My arm?”

Ryuji stared at him, confused, but ended up doing as he said. Yusuke took a pen out of his pen case, and, just like the other day, began to doodle something on Ryuji’s skin.

**“** This again?” asked Ryuji.

Yusuke nodded briefly.

**“** I forgot my sketchbook in my dormitory,” he said.

**“** Well, that’s unusual.” Ryuji considered it for a moment. “Wanna use my notebook, instead?”

**“** The lines would be in the way.”

The answer made Ryuji laugh.

**“** Dude…” he shook his head. “You sayin’ a few lines are worse than my arm?”

**“** Yes.”

Somehow, Ryuji doubted it.

**“** Okay…” he said, glancing at his own arm. “Don’t the dots and freckles bother you, then?”

**“** Not at all,” assured Yusuke. “Besides, this serves as an interesting exercise.”

**“** If you say so…”

**“** Should I stop?”

Yusuke looked at him, slightly concerned. Ryuji offered him a reassuring smile.

**“** No, I didn’t mean it like that…” He thought for a moment. “Hey, If you want, I’ll buy you a sketchbook when we leave here.”

The suggestion seemed to leave Yusuke slightly uncomfortable.

**“** But…” He averted his gaze, lowering his voice. “That would take time…”

Ryuji observed him for a while, amused by how disappointed he sounded.

**“** You really can’t live five minutes without drawin’, can you?” he asked.

**“** I can, but it would be close to unbearable.”

**“** I really can’t tell if you’re jokin’ or not…”

With that, Ryuji let out a brief, defeated sigh.

**“** Fine, fine…” he said. “I’ll be your extra one again.”

His answer made a wide smile take Yusuke’s lips.

**“** I appreciate it.”

* * *

The third time, Ryuji was at Yusuke’s bedroom, reading a manga on his bed while his friend painted a few feet away. He was so distracted that he only noticed Yusuke beside him when he was already rolling up the sleeve of Ryuji’s t-shirt. This time, Ryuji didn’t even need to ask him what he was doing.

**“** What is it this time?” he asked. “Ran out of sketchbooks?”

**“** That’s not the case.”

The surprise made Ryuji look at him, slightly intrigued. Yusuke hesitated for a moment before proceeding.

**“** I simply found out that I enjoy drawing on your skin,” he admitted in a low voice.

**“** Really?” asked Ryuji, furrowing his brow. “Why?”

**“** I can’t say for sure… But it’s quite pleasing.”

His answer sounded honest, and Ryuji chose not to insist on it.

**“** You big weirdo…” he said, fondly.

Yusuke smiled at him, then lowered his eyes to Ryuji’s arm.

**“** Stay still.”

Ryuji did as he said, keeping his arm in that same position. He watched as Yusuke worked, first paying attention to the drawing, which slowly gained form; then, he shifted his gaze to Yusuke’s focused face. He always put so much effort into his artworks, even when it was something as simple as that. Ryuji still couldn’t understand the appeal of drawing something on his skin, especially since it meant the artwork would last no more than a few hours. He always felt slightly sad whenever he washed those pretty drawings away, and wondered if Yusuke didn’t feel the same way.

He observed Yusuke for a long while, paying attention to the small changes in his expression as he worked. _He was so focused…_ In a way, it was really cute. Without thinking, Ryuji reached for Yusuke’s head, carefully moving his hair away from his face. The unexpected touch made Yusuke look at him.

**“** Ah… sorry,” said Ryuji, moving his hand away.

**“** Is something wrong?” asked Yusuke.

**“** No, not really.”

Yusuke observed him, and Ryuji knew he was still waiting for an actual answer. He sighed before speaking again.

**“** Lookin’ close like this, your face is really pretty.”

His words made Yusuke widen his eyes.

**“** Excuse me?”

**“** I mean,” proceeded Ryuji, “it’s kinda pretty normally, an’ all. But when you’re close like this…”

_Shit, that sounded completely wrong when he said it out loud…_

**“** My bad.” Ryuji shook his head. “I don’t know why I said that.”

Instead of letting the subject die there, Yusuke leaned in Ryuji’s direction.

**“** No,” he said. “I want to hear what you have to say.”

Ryuji hesitated, aware that, no matter what he said, it would probably make things awkward. But Yusuke was eager for his answer, and, after pondering for a while, he finally gave in.

**“** When you’re close like this, I kinda wanna keep lookin’,” he said.

**“** Is that so?”

**“** Yeah…” Another moment of hesitation. “And… y’know…”

**“** What?”

**“** My heart kinda does some weird stuff.”

A tiny, interested smile took Yusuke’s lips.

**“** Like what?” he asked.

**“** You know what!”

**“** I don’t.”

**“** Liar!”

**“** I’m serious,” insisted Yusuke. “Like what?”

His reaction was much better than Ryuji anticipated. _Well, since he had come this far already, he might as well see it to the end._

**“** Makes me wanna touch you,” he admitted, without looking at Yusuke.

**“** How?”

This time Ryuji stared at him in disbelief.

**“** You’re doin’ this on purpose…” he said.

**“** I simply want to know the answer.”

He had a feeling that Yusuke knew where he was going with all that, and he couldn’t say if it made things easier for him or not.

**“** I don’t know, man…” he said. “Just touch.”

Yusuke moved slightly closer to him.

**“** Why don’t you?” he asked.

**“** You know I can’t just go on and do that.”

His answer made Yusuke think for a while.

**“** Can I, then?” he asked.

The question made Ryuji chuckle.

**“** You’re already touching me…” he said. “To draw, an’ all that.”

**“** Can I do it without a reason, then?”

Ryuji bit the inside of his lip. The answer was already clear in his mind, but it didn’t make it much easier for him to process what was happening. He slowly nodded, looking at Yusuke.

**“** Yeah.”

Yusuke smiled, carefully touching Ryuji’s face with his fingertips, cupping his cheek with his palm. Ryuji closed his eyes, focusing only on Yusuke’s touch.

**“** Your hand is cold,” he said.

**“** Is it unpleasant?”

Ryuji placed his hand over Yusuke’s, holding it against his cheek. A slight smile took his lips.

**“** Not at all.”

He needed a moment to gather his courage, then slowly leaned in Yusuke’s direction, placing a kiss on his cheek. Yusuke didn’t move away, so Ryuji kissed him again, close to his mouth. Without any sign of rejection, he finally placed a brief, soft kiss on Yusuke’s lips. He moved away, looking at Yusuke, trying to read his expression.

But Yusuke’s response was to kiss his face as well, mimicking Ryuji’s previous gestures. It made Ryuji giggle.

**“** Were you thinkin’ about this too?” he asked.

**“** Yes,” answered Yusuke. “For quite a while now.”

Ryuji caressed his cheek. They looked at each other for a moment, then leaned in for another kiss.

* * *

Months later, Ryuji had already lost count of the times Yusuke had already drawn on him. It became like a habit, and could happen anytime the two of them were together. He didn’t question it anymore, but, deep down, it still intrigued him. That day, when he was once again lying on Yusuke’s bed while his boyfriend drew something on his back, his curiosity was finally stronger than him.

**“** I was thinkin’...” he said. “Why do you still do that?”

**“** Do what?”

**“** Draw on me,” explained Ryuji. “I’m sure my skin ain’t as good as a sheet of paper for that.”

Yusuke thought for a moment.

**“** I can’t say for sure…” he admitted. “But I quite like it. Maybe, because I’m enamored with you, I want to merge your existence with my lifelong passion for art.”

His answer made Ryuji giggle.

**“** You tryin’ to turn me into art?” he asked.

**“** Possibly.”

Ryuji furrowed his brow, looking at Yusuke over his shoulder.

**“** That was a joke…” he said.

**“** Still, it defined my feelings better than I could ever do.”

Ryuji considered it for a while.

**“** The idea is kinda weird,” he said, “but I think I get the feeling. In a way, it’s like when I see you and my mom gettin’ along… It’s good to see two things you love together.”

**“** Precisely.”

He laughed to himself: that thought sounded a lot like Yusuke.

**“** Ain’t that a waste, though?” he asked. “Even if you draw somethin’ pretty, it’ll get washed away when I take a bath.”

**“** A little,” admitted Yusuke. “But that only means I have an eternal canvas in you.”

**“** You say some weird stuff.”

Yusuke simply smiled as an answer, focusing his attention once again on his drawing.

**“** Hey, Yusu…” said Ryuji after a while. “After we graduate, can you come up with a tattoo design for me?”

Yusuke’s hand stopped, and when Ryuji looked at him, he had a surprised expression.

**“** Are you sure?” he asked.

**“** Yeah,” said Ryuji. “If it’s a tattoo, it won’t go away even if I wash it.”

**“** But, I mean…” Yusuke hesitated. “Would you want to carry something like that on your skin?”

**“** Why not? Your art is damn pretty. Besides, I kinda wanted to do a tattoo for some time now, and I won’t find a better artist than you to come up with a nice design.”

Yusuke’s surprise slowly gave place to an excited smile as the suggestion finally sank in.

**“** I’d be honored,” he said.

**“** Great!” answered Ryuji with a wide smile. “Well, you’ve got a long time to come up with somethin’ cool.”

**“** I’ll start to think about it this very night.”

**“** C’mon… Don’t rush yourself.”

**“** I can’t help it,” answered Yusuke. “The thought is too exciting for me to ignore.”

And he really seemed happy with the idea. It made a nice warmth fill Ryuji’s chest.

**“** You big art nerd,” he muttered.

Yusuke didn’t answer, instead, leaning forward and placing a kiss on Ryuji’s back before going back to his drawing. Ryuji smiled, allowing his body to relax under Yusuke’s careful touches and that now familiar feeling on his skin.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it!


End file.
